Your Right to Know

“Florida may be the ultimate battleground state, but in off-years, both parties often struggle
to find A-list politicos to headline their big political galas,” began a political blog last week
from the
Tampa Bay Times.

So what paltry “B-list” politicos are heading to the Sunshine State?

None other than former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and current state Sen. Nina Turner, who is
running for secretary of state. They are the headliners for the Florida Democratic Party’s 2013
state conference at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort from Oct. 25 to 27.

“When I was governor of Ohio, we proved that you can expand access to education and help
businesses grow. We built new schools and cut burdensome business regulations. We were proud
Democrats, and we helped people,” Strickland said in an email to Florida Democrats that neglected
to mention his defeat to Republican John Kasich in 2010.

The Florida party touted Turner as “a rising progressive star” and lauded the Clevelander as “a
staunch opponent of Republican Gov. John Kasich’s fight to restrict voting rights.”

Washington Bureau Chief Jack Torry notes that reports have been circulating for months that
House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester, is set to retire after the 2014 congressional
elections. Last week, the
Huffington Post website reported that former Boehner aides said he is tired of dealing
with the increasingly divided House Republicans and wants to quit, travel and play golf.

One reason cited is that some analysts believe Boehner will have a difficult time staving off a
challenge from House Majority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., who is a favorite among House conservatives.
So, the story goes, why not get out before he loses his post?

Michael Steel, a Boehner spokesman, dismissed the reports, telling the
Huffington Post that “these inside-the-Beltway parlor games take place every two years.
The speaker has made clear publicly he intends to remain in his position in the next Congress.”

Boehner, 63, has not been acting as if he plans to retire. He has been aggressively raising
campaign money for House Republicans and was in Wyoming late last month campaigning for a GOP
incumbent.A public official was cleaning out the basement for a move when a lighthearted
Dispatch profile from more than 25 years ago appeared on the pile.

Can you guess who it is from some of the answers provided in January 1988?

Age: “35.”

First job: “Milking cows at our family farm.”

Favorite exercise: “Tilting at windmills.”

Behind my back, people say I: “need to get a haircut, polish my shoes, and get a real job.”

My goal in life: “To be endorsed by
The Columbus Dispatch.”

That facetious hope came true last year, when for the first time this paper endorsed, in the
U.S. Senate race, liberal Democrat Sherrod Brown.